1. Researching for your Literature Review
Presented by
Jenna Walsh
Liaison Librarian
for Applied Surrey |

2. Today’s Schedule What is a literature review? Literature searching
Key Sources
Books
Journal Articles and Databases
Grey Literature
Theses
Citation indexing
Avoiding information overload
Citation management software
Awareness tools
Getting Help

3. What is a Literature Review?
It is important to explore the field in which you are going to do your research and gain a thorough awareness and understanding of current work and perspectives in the area so that you can position your own research clearly on the academic map of knowledge creation.
Standing on the shoulders of giants…
An essential aspect of academic research is that it has connections with the work of others.
Distinguish what has been done from what needs to be done
Discover important variables relevant to the topic
Synthesize and gain a new perspective
Identify relationships between ideas and practice
Establish the context of the topic or problem
Rationalize the significance of the problem
Enhance and acquire the subject vocabulary
Understand the structure of the subject
Relate ideas and theory to applications
Identify the main methodologies and research techniques that have been used
Place the research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments.
Starts with a literature SEARCH

4. Literature Search
A systematic and thorough search of all types of published literature in order to identify as many items as possible that are relevant to a particular topic

5. Purposes of a Literature Search
Situate your work.
Focus your research.
Identify your approach & methodology.
Learn about previous work.
Identify key people, organizations & texts which are relevant to your research.
To identify the field and specific context in which your work is situated.
To give you ideas about the focal point of your research and the wider context in which it will sit.
It will help you identify the type of data you might collect and use, sites of data collection, the sample size, and how you might analyze this data. A means of extending your understanding of the key concepts, theories, and methodologies in your field.
To find out what others have done in the area so as to avoid duplicating previous work.
Identify key people, organizations, and texts which are relevant to your research.

6. Where to search?
At the beginning of your research, focus on reading key studies and scholarship as cited in encyclopedias and textbooks
Mine bibliographies. Spend less time “hunting” for recent articles and more time “gathering”

7. Library Research at SFU
We won’t spend a lot of time on this – by now you most likely know how to use the library’s resources, and are familiar with the databases most useful in your field.
However, if you have any questions once you’re immersed in your search, I’m happy to help!
Although there are several places to begin, I’d like to suggest the Engineering Science Research Guide…

8. Library Research Guide

10. Citation Indexing
Citations are the formal, explicit linkage between papers that have particular points in common.
A citation index is built around these linkages. It lists publications that have been cited and identifies the sources of the citations.
You can find additional research on a subject just by knowing one piece of research that has been cited. VERY HELPFUL

11. ISI Web of Knowledge Citation Index
Find out who cited a particular journal article and who was cited in a particular journal article. KEY TOOL.

12. ISI Journal Citation Reports Impact Factors
Tool #2 – Journal Citation Reports Impact Factors
Provides the impact factor (the relative importance of journals within a given field) and other citation data for 8,400 scholarly and technical journals worldwide.

13. Citation Management Software
Store your references online and format bibliographies instantly
Access your account from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection
Export citations from a variety of article indexes and databases into your account
Training opportunities online and in-person.

14. Student Learning Commons
Go here

15. Further help
Library: contact your liaison librarian (Jenna) for problems big and small (eg, I can’t find this article, or I’m not finding any relevant articles on my topic)
Go to Ask Us, Liaison Librarians